Saturday, June 6, 2009

Throwing away childhood.

When I moved to Seattle, I took a lot of my things with me.

However, I have been alive for 21 years, and over that time I acquired A LOT OF THINGS.

Many of my possessions stayed here at home, at my parents' house, where they have been taking up space for 9 months since I left.

Today I am back home, on a Saturday, CLEANING. My mom wants me to consolidate all of those THINGS into a few manageable boxes and get rid of the rest. :/ This is hard.

What I have left in there is:
1. My closet. (O.o)
2. Under my bed. (O.o)
3. 1 bookshelf.


I am trying to power through, but every time I reach for a new stack of things or open a new box, I find a whole plethora of pictures to look at, or notes from old friends to read, or books I once loved, or little containers full of things that look like junk but I remember (or guess, if it's been awhile) that they're secret memories from my life (a weird shaped rock, a piece of cloth, a quarter taped to a piece of paper). How do you go through these things? How do you decide what gets thrown away and what gets held on to for just a little longer?

Also, the biggest thing, is that I keep finding folders of old writing, NOTEBOOKS upon NOTEBOOKS of started and forgotten stories, and tons of old school newspapers I'm published in, and papers I wrote for school. How do I decide which old writing from my childhood is worth keeping and which should be tossed? I HAVE NO IDEA.


I've finished under my bed and I have two tubs to save and one huge box and one huge bag to get rid of or throw away. I'm taking a break before I tackle the closet.


Also, I found a paper my brother wrote in 2002 (he was 9 years old then) and I wanted to share it here for posterity. I have no idea why I had one of my brother's papers in, but it's GOLD, so I'm glad I had it. I probably stole it back then because I knew I'd appreicate it more than he would when I found it again:

"T.V.

I love to watch T.V. There is the remote. It controls the whole T.V. My family fights over it! I get it the most. The screen makes it so you can watch T.V. That is the glass. The channels are the things the shows are on. The numbers. That's all I know about T.V."


Hahaha. He's cute. I just went in his room and read it to him and he turned all red and laughed.


So here I am, covered in dust and memories, trying to decide which parts of my past to throw away. I think the world will be happy to know I threw out seven issues of "Animerica" and a copy of Seventeen magazine from 1996. I also found my abandoned State Quarters collection. I got as far as Vermont. I found my POG collection and my Tenchi Muyo and Ah! My Goddess dvds which I am actually pretty excited about. I found a lot of old drawings (forgot I used to be a little artist) and so many pictures I don't even know what to do with them all. I also found a picture I had taken when I was in 4th grade that was all glamour shot-y, and I look like a freaking movie star. I may have to scan that one in; I didn't even remember having it taken.

Here's to a few more hours of cleaning. Phew.

20 comments:

tigressflowers said...

I'll tell you!

First you live on a boat for 5 years (mildew = everything gets tossed)

Then once your parents have a house it gets hit by a hurricane and the only box of childhood memories you have left is washed away!

(p.s. I hate Ike)

However, I did guilt my parents into getting me some really kick ass gifts for christmas and bday!

Ebbie said...

I love you just a little bit more because you have Ah! My Goddess DVD's, just so you know <3

Melody said...

I used to save so much random junk because I thought it held memories but I eventually threw them away and I don't regret it one bit. My brain holds the memories, I don't need to have something saved for every event in my life.

Odi said...

I like this:


"So here I am, covered in dust and memories, trying to decide which parts of my past to throw away."

seurat2 said...

About the only thing I can say is to keep the stuff that a) you can't bear to part with (easy) and b) the stuff that 10 or 20 years from now you're going to kick yourself for not keeping (HARD). You could put most of tose photos on computer anyway, that will help.

Unknown said...

Tell me about it. I spent several hours today clearing out the loft with my parents, finding all my old stuffed toys and toy trains and music boxes and things. I made a post about it today, too!

As a rule of thumb, if there's a good story behind it, I keep it.

Catherine said...

I loved Tenchi Muyo! I also keep random assorted junk that has sentimental value. There was a time I would pick up a rock from all the places I loved to be. My memory box is getting really full now. =)

SnakesAndWorms said...

Oh that task would be impossible for me. I get petty little emotional attachments to those kinds of things. It's like in each little object there is some kind spritual thing about it that no one else can see that connects me to that point in time.

Sean said...

Just did some of the same a week or so ago, and it's amazing what you find. Your brother's paper reminds me of one we found from my sister that was pretty funny. I'd post what it said here, but I think she ended up throwing it away. =/

I have quite a bit to go through still. Good luck figuring out what can stay and what must go.

Morgan Johnson said...

My mom wants me to do the same thing while I'm home this summer. I'm not quite sure that will happen, considering I've been home for a month and I haven't unpacked more than the necessities.

VicMorrowsGhost said...

I just had to do this at my Dad's house. I chucked so much out but even then once I got all the stuff I was keeping back here my floor was completely covered with boxes.

I still haven't done the book shelf. I have 10 years of National Geographic magazines on there. It's literally like 200 kilograms of magazine! :P

Elayne said...

Your brother is very cute and three years older than me. ;)

In 2002 I was six.

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